


gods reading Percy Jackson and the Curse of the Titan

by GabrielaSouza34



Series: Percy Jackson [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Books, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Gen, Gods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23083879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabrielaSouza34/pseuds/GabrielaSouza34
Summary: After reading the first two books of the history of our seaweed head, the Olympian gods will read the third. What will they do when they discover that there are not only Percy and Thalia, but four children of the big three?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Aphrodite/Ares (Percy Jackson), Apollo/Hyacinthus (Percy Jackson), Juniper/Grover Underwood
Series: Percy Jackson [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1301405
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

-The curse of the Titan-Leu Demeter with pain-It is the name of the next book.  
-Always a mystery-Sighed Dionysus-Powerful and enigmatic, there are thousands of Titans.

\- My rescue operation ends very badly- Is the book about to start with tragedy? -Demeter said, amazed.  
-Who will Percy rescue? -Want to know Athena.

**The Friday before winter break, my mom packed a travel bag and some lethal weapons for me and took me to a new boarding school.**

-He's going to study? But it's close to going to the camp, ”said Dionysus.

**On the way we picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia.**

-I think he will not study there, his mission is there, after all Annabeth and Thalia live in the Camp-Said Poseidon.

I **t was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Rain and snow punished the highway. Annabeth, Thalia and I hadn't seen each other in months, but in the midst of the storm and the idea of what we were about to do we felt too nervous to talk much. The exception was my mother. She talks more when she's nervous.**

-Is he going on a hitchhiking mission with mom? -Ares mocked.  
"And how come, three children aged 14 and 15, more or less, go to Maine alone, nephew?" Poseidon pinned.  
-The strange thing is that the three are going, and yet they fail-Hades noticed-How difficult is it to rescue a child? .

**When we finally arrived**   
**Westover Hall, it was getting dark and she had told Annabeth and Thalia all the embarrassing baby stories there was to tell about me.**   
**Thalia wiped the foggy glass off the car and looked out.**   
**\- Ah yes! This is going to be fun.**   
**Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows, and a large set of double wooden doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking a large icy forest on one side and the gray, turbulent ocean on the other.**

"Great place for children," said Quiron.

\- **Are you sure you don't want me to wait? Asked my mother.**  
 **"No, mom, thanks," I said. - I don't know how long it will take. Will be all right.**  
 **\- But how are you coming back? I'm worried, Percy.**  
 **I hoped I wasn't blushing. It was bad enough that I had to depend on my mother to take me to my battles.**  
 **\- It's okay, Mrs. Jackson. Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked in a skier's cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. - We'll keep you out of trouble.**  
 **My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most sensible demigod who has ever made it to eighth grade. You are sure that Annabeth almost always keeps me from being killed.**

"Last time it was the other way around," said Artemis.

**You're right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.**   
**"Okay, dear," said my mother. - Do you have everything you need?**   
**"Yes, Mrs. Jackson," said Thalia. - Thanks for the ride.**   
**\- Reserve pullovers? Do you have my cell phone number?**   
**\- Mother…**   
**\- Your ambrosia and your nectar, Percy? And a gold drachma in case you need to contact the camp?**   
**\- Mom, seriously! Everything will be fine. Let's go girls.**

-I like mortals like that-Said Hera-Who take care of the family, they love.

**She looked a little hurt, and I felt a hint of regret for that, but I was ready to get out of that car. If my mother told one more story about how cute I was in the bath when I was three years old, I would bury myself in the snow and freeze to death.**   
**Annabeth and Thalia followed me. The wind blew through my coat like ice daggers. After my mom's car was out of sight, Thalia said:**   
**\- Your mom is awesome, Percy.**   
**"She's pretty cool," I admitted. - But and you? Do you sometimes get in touch with your mother?**

-Percy forgets that he is practically the only one who lives with his mother and will only train in the summer-Said Dionísio-The strange thing is that he is the son of one of the big three, but he stays at home and alive.

**As soon as I said that I regretted it. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, with those punk clothes she always wears - the torn military jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner in those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave me at that time was perfectly evil:**   
**\- As if that were any of your business, Percy ...**   
**"We better get in," interrupted Annabeth. - Grover must be waiting.**

-Four. Four to get one and it still goes wrong, ”said Hecate, amazed.

**Thalia looked at the castle and shivered.**   
**\- You're right. I just wanted to know what he found here that made him send the S.O.S.**   
**I looked up at the dark towers of Westover Hall.**   
**"Nothing good," I assumed.**   
**The oak doors creaked open, and the three of us entered the lobby in a whirlwind of snow. All I could say was:**   
**\- Wow!**

**The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle banners and weapons on display: old rifles, battle axes and a lot of other things. I mean, I knew that Westover was a military school and all, but the exaggeration of the decor was overwhelming. Literally.**   
**My hand went to the pocket where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Counterflow. I could already feel that there was something wrong in that place. Something dangerous. Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. I realized that we were thinking the same thing. There was a fight ahead.**   
**Annabeth started to say:**   
**\- I wanted to know where ...**   
**The doors slammed shut behind us.**   
**"Oops," I mumbled. - I think we'll stay a little longer.**   
**I could hear music echoing across the lobby. It looked like dance music. We left our travel bags behind a pillar and started across the lobby. We hadn't gone very far when I heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept us.**   
**Both had short gray hair and a black military-style uniform with red edging. The woman had a thin mustache and the man had a perfectly shaved face, which seemed a little inverted. The two walked stiffly, as if they had broomsticks taped to their backs.**   
**\- And then? Asked the woman. - What are you doing here?**   
**\- Er ... - I realized that I had not planned anything for that situation. He was so focused on getting to Grover and finding out what was wrong that he had not taken into consideration that someone might question why three children were sneaking into the school in the middle of the night. We hadn't talked in the car about how we were going to get in.**

-Say they got lost. Say anything, except about getting lost in the circus caravan-Said Nemesis.

**I said:**   
**\- Madame, we're just ...**   
**\- Ah! - The man fired, which made me jump. - Visitors are not allowed at the ball. You will be expelled!**   
**He had an accent - French, maybe. He pronounced the x as a pixel. He was tall, with an eagle face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it difficult not to look at his nose, and his eyes were two different colors - one brown, the other blue - like those of a stray cat.**   
**I figured he was about to throw us in the snow, but then Thalia stepped forward and did something very strange. She snapped her fingers. The sound was clear and strong. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt a gust of wind spread from her hand through the lobby. The wind passed over all of us and made the banners on the walls flutter.**

-She knows how to control the fog-Hera was impressed.

\- **Ah! But we are not visitors, sir, ”said Thalia. - We studied here. You remember: I am Thalia. And these are Annabeth and Percy. We are in the eighth grade.**  
 **The professor narrowed his two-colored eyes. I didn't know what Thalia was thinking. Now we would probably be punished for lying and also thrown in the snow. But the man seemed to hesitate.**  
 **He looked at his colleague.**  
 **\- Miss Tengiz, do you know these students?**

"Do you have chalk? But what is that name?" Her mother must have hated her-Said Ares-That I thought, Theseus was an ugly name.

**Despite the danger we were in, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher named Has Chalk? He must have been kidding. The woman blinked, like someone**   
**who just woke up from a trance.**   
**\- I ... yes. I think so, sir. - She frowned at us. –Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing outside the gym?**   
**Before we could answer, I heard more footsteps, and Grover came running out of breath.**   
**\- You made it! You...**   
**\- What is it, Mr Underwood? Said the man. His tone made it clear that he hated Grover. - What did you mean by "made it"? These students live here.**   
**Grover swallowed.**   
**\- Yes sir. Of course, Dr. Espinheiro. I just wanted to say that I'm very happy because they managed to ... make the punch for the dance! The punch is delicious. And they did it!**   
**Dr. Espinheiro glared at us. I concluded that one of his eyes could only be fake. The brown? The blue? He seemed to want to throw us off the top of the castle's tallest tower, but then Miss. Tengiz said, dreamily:**   
**\- Yes, the punch is excellent. Now get going, all of you. And don't leave the gym again!**   
**We don't expect her to speak twice. We left with a portion of "Yes, ma'am!" and "Yes, sir!", and we saluted a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the right thing to do.**   
**Grover pushed us down the hall towards the music. I could feel the teachers' eyes on my back, but I walked very close to Thalia and asked in a low voice:**   
**\- How did you do that snapping thing?**   
**\- Do you mean Mist? Has Chiron not yet shown you how to do this?**

-Wow! Favoritism-Said Apolo- Caution Chiron.

**An uncomfortable lump formed in my throat. Chiron was our main trainer at the camp, but he had never shown me anything like that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me?**   
**Grover hurried us to a door with GYM written on the glass. Even with my dyslexia, I was able to read that.**   
**\- That was close! Said Grover. - Thank the gods you arrived!**   
**Annabeth and Thalia hugged Grover. I raised my hand and hit his. It was nice to see you after so many months. He had grown a little taller and a few more beards had been born, but other than that, he looked the same as he always did when he passed by as a human - a red cap over his curly brown hair to hide the goat horns, jeans loose with fake feet to hide the hairy legs and hooves. I wore a black T-shirt that took me a few seconds to read. It said: WESTOVER HALL: SQUARE. I wasn't sure if it was like Grover's military post, or maybe just the school's motto.**   
**\- So what's the emergency? - I asked.**   
**Grover took a deep breath.**   
**\- I found two.**

-Two? Heck-Said Hephaestus-Impressive.

\- **Two half-bloods? Asked Thalia, surprised. - On here?**  
 **Grover nodded.**  
 **Finding a half-blood was rare enough. That year, Chiron had put the satyrs to work overtime and sent them to the four corners of the country watching students from the fourth to the eighth grades of the schools in search of possible recruits. Those were difficult times. We were losing campers. We needed all the new fighters that we could find. The problem was that there weren't many demigods out there.**  
 **"A brother and sister," he said. - They are ten and twelve years old. I don't know who your parents are, but they are strong. And our time is running out. I need help.**  
 **\- Monsters?**  
 **\- Um - Grover looked nervous. - He suspects. I don't think I'm sure yet, but it's the last day of the school year. I am sure you will not allow them to leave school until they find out. It could be our last chance! Every time I try to get close to them the monster is always there, preventing me. I do not know what to do!**  
 **Grover looked at Thalia desperately. I tried not to feel uncomfortable about it. Normally, Grover looked at me for answers, but Thalia took precedence. Not just because her father was Zeus. Thalia had more experience than any of us in fighting monsters in the real world.**  
 **"Okay," she said. - Are these half-bloods at the ball? - Grover nodded. "Then let's dance," said Thalia. -** **Who's the monster?**  
 **\- Ah! - Grover said looking around nervously. - You just met him. The deputy director, Sr. Espinheiro.**

-Well he looked strange to me-commented Hestia.

**The strange thing about military schools is that children go crazy when something special happens and they can take off their uniforms. I think it's because everything is so rigid, the rest of the time they feel they need to make the most of it, or something.**   
**There were black and red balloons scattered all over the gym floor, and the guys kicked them in the face of each other, or tried to strangle each other with the crepe paper chains stuck to the walls. The girls moved back and forth huddled together like a football game, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup, thin straps, brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like instruments of torture. Every now and then they surrounded some poor guy like a school of fish, screaming and giggling, and when they finally walked away, the guy had ribbons in his hair and lipstick gibberish all over his face. Some of the older guys looked more like me - uncomfortable, by the gym walls, trying to hide, as if at any minute they were going to have to fight for their lives. In my case, of course, that was true ...**   
**"There they are," Grover nodded to two younger children arguing in the stands. - Bianca and Nico di Angelo.**

Hades had a coughing fit.  
Poseidon opened his mouth in disbelief.  
It was impossible. They must have been dead at that time, or old. Just as it was impossible to bring Thalia back to life.  
"It can't be!"  
"Some gods have children by the same woman," said Hermes.  
-That's not what I meant. They are my children.  
-Hades. There is no way to know that, they will only be born in about forty years-Zeus said.  
-They are in our time-Said Poseidon helping Hades-They are alive. Now.  
-What? -Aphrodite said-And how are they in the future? Are you sure it's them? .  
-Absolute. Same name and age - Said Hades - I don't know how it is possible. Did Cronos somehow send them into the future? To have more options in the prophecy.  
-We don't know how-Said Quiron-But we have four half bloods, that fit the prophecy. Thalia, Percy, Nico and Bianca.  
-That is, we are screwed-Said Apolo-Will any more children appear? Because I don't doubt it.  
-When we finish the books we will talk Hades.

-I know what you want to talk about-Said Hades-You will not go after them. Percy or Thalia are the heroes of prophecy, I'm sure. Save, not the need to kill them.  
-If they are not the demigods of prophecy, I will leave them alive-Zeus decided-Pray for them not to make mistakes.

**The girl wore a loose green hat, as if trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously his younger brother. Both had dark silky hair and dark skin, and used their hands a lot when they spoke. The boy was shuffling some kind of figurines. The sister seemed to scold him for some reason. He kept looking around, as if he felt something was wrong.**   
**Annabeth said:**   
**\- They already ... I mean, have you told them?**   
**Grover shook his head.**   
**\- You know how it is. This could put them even more in danger. Once they realize who they are, their smell gets stronger.**   
**He looked at me and I nodded. In fact, I never understood what the “smell” of half-bloods is for monsters and satyrs, but I knew that the smell can get you killed. And the more you become a powerful demigod, the more you smell like monster lunch.**   
**"Then let's get them out of here," I said.**   
**I took a step forward, but Thalia put her hand on my shoulder. The deputy director, Dr. Espinheiro, had slipped through a door beside the bleachers and was close to the Di Angelo brothers. He nodded coldly in our direction. His blue eye looked red-hot.**   
**Judging by his expression, I guessed that Espinheiro hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with the Mist, after all. He suspected who we were. I was just waiting to see why we were there.**   
**"Don't look at the brothers," ordered Thalia. - We have to wait for an opportunity to reach them. We need to pretend that we are not interested in them. To lose them.**   
**\- How?**   
**\- We are three powerful half-bloods. Our presence must confuse you. Mix it up. Act naturally. Dance a little. But keep an eye on those kids.**   
**\- To dance? Asked Annabeth.**   
**Thalia nodded. She paid attention to the music and made a face.**   
**\- Ew. Who chose Jesse McCartney?**   
**Grover looked offended.**   
**\- I.**   
**\- Ah, my gods, Grover! This is so grimace. Can't you play Green Day or something?**   
**\- Green what?**   
**\- Nothing. Let's Dance.**   
**\- But I don't know how to dance!**   
**"You can do it if I drive," said Thalia. - Come on, kid-goat.**   
**Grover yelped, and Thalia took his hand and led him to the dance floor. Annabeth smiled.**   
**\- What? - I asked.**   
**\- Anything. It's nice to have Thalia back.**   
**Annabeth had grown taller than me since last summer, which I found a little uncomfortable. She used to wear jewelry other than her bead necklace from Camp Half-Blood, but now she wore small earrings in the shape of an owl - the symbol of her mother, Athena. He took off his skier's cap and his long blond hair fell to his shoulders. For some reason, it made her look older.**   
**\- Then...? - I tried to think of something to say. Act naturally, Thalia had said. When you're a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the hell does it mean to act naturally?**

"Staying alive, I suppose," kicked Hestia.

\- **Er, have you designed any cool buildings lately?**  
 **Annabeth's eyes lit up, as she always did when she talked about architecture.**  
 **\- Ah, my gods, Percy! At my new school I chose perspective drawing as an elective, and there's that really cool computer program that ...**  
 **She went on to explain how she designed that huge monument she wanted to build in Manhattan, at Ground Zero, the place where the World Trade Center towers were. He talked about structural supports, facades and other things, and I tried to listen. I knew she wanted to be a superwoman when she grew up - she loves math, historic buildings and everything - but I barely understood a word of what she said. In fact, I was disappointed to hear that she liked the new school in New York so much. I was hoping to see you more often. It was a boarding school in Brooklyn, she and Thalia were attending together, and it was quite close to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron could help them if they got into trouble. Since it was a school for girls only, and I was attending MS-54 in Manhattan, I could barely see them.**  
 **"Yeah, oh, cool," I said. - So you're going to be there for the rest of the year, huh?**  
 **Her expression clouded.**  
 **\- Well, maybe, if I don't ...**  
 **\- Hey! - Thalia shouted at us. She was dancing slowly with Grover, who was tripping over her legs, kicking her in the shins, seemed to want to die. At least his feet were fake. Unlike me, he had an excuse to be awkward.**  
 **\- Dance you too! - ordered Thalia. - They look silly standing there.**  
 **I looked nervously at Annabeth, and then at the groups of girls who wandered around the gym.**  
 **\- And then? Said Annabeth.**  
 **\- Er, who should I take out to dance?**

  
"He didn't say that," complained Aphrodite.

**She punched me in the stomach.**

**\- Me, Mr. Seaweed Head.**   
**\- Ah! Oh, right.**   
**There we went to the dance floor, and I looked around to see how Thalia and Grover were doing. I put one hand on Annabeth's waist and she took the other as if she were going to hit me with a judo.**   
**"I won't bite," she said. - Frankly, Percy. Don't you have parties at your school?**   
**I did not answer. The truth is that we did. But I never liked it; in fact, I never danced. Usually, I was one of the guys playing basketball in the corner.**   
**We drag our feet from side to side for a few minutes. I tried to focus on little things, like the crepe paper chains and the punch bowl - everything but the fact that Annabeth was taller than me, and my hands were sweaty and probably awkward, and I kept stepping on them. her feet.**   
**\- What were you saying before? - I asked. - Are you in trouble at school, or something?**   
**She pursed her lips.**   
**\- Is not it. And my dad.**   
**\- Ahn-ahn. - I knew Annabeth had an unstable relationship with her father. - I thought things were looking up between you two. Is it your stepmother again?**   
**Annabeth sighed.**   
**\- He decided to move. Just when I was getting used to New York he took that silly new job of researching for a book about the First World War. In San Francisco.**

-I do not believe-said Athena-Obvious that she will not.

**I said it in the same way that I could say Fields of Punishment or Hades Gym Uniform.**

**-My uniform is beautiful-said Hades-And don't look at me like that. Persephone forced me.**   
**-Gymnastics is great love.**

**\- So he wants you to move there with him?**   
**"To the other side of the country," she said in an unhappy tone. - And half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He should know that.**   
**\- What? Why not?**   
**Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe he thought I was kidding.**   
**\- Do you know. It's right there.**   
**\- Ah! - I said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't want to look silly.**   
**\- So ... are you going to live in the camp again or what?**   
**\- It's more serious than that, Percy. I ... I think I should tell you something.**   
**Suddenly she froze.**   
**\- They are gone.**   
**\- What?**   
**I followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blooded children, Bianca and Nico, were gone. The door next to the grandstand was wide open. Dr. Espinheiro was nowhere to be seen.**   
**\- We have to find Thalia and Grover! Annabeth looked around frantically. - Ah, where did they go dancing? Let's go!**   
**She ran through the crowd. I was about to follow when a bunch of girls got in my way. I went around them to avoid the tape and lipstick treatment, and when I managed to get rid of Annabeth, she was gone. I spun around looking for her, Thalia or Grover. Instead, I saw something that froze my blood.**   
**Fifteen meters away, lying on the gym floor, was a green hat like the one Bianca di Angelo wore. Next to him, a few scattered figurines. Then I saw Dr. Espinheiro at a glance. He hurried out of a door on the opposite side of the gym, taking the children of Angelo by the neck as if they were kittens. He still couldn't see Annabeth, but he knew she was going the other way, looking for Thalia and Grover.**   
**I almost ran after her, but then I thought: Wait.**   
**I remembered what Thalia had said to me in the lobby, looking at me in surprise when I asked about the finger snap trick: Chiron hasn't shown you how to do that yet? I thought about the way Grover had looked at her, hoping she would save the day.**   
**Not that I resented Thalia. She was nice. It wasn't her fault if her father was Zeus and she got all the attention ... Still, I didn't need to run after her to solve all the problems.**

"I understand why it went wrong," Ares murmured.

**Besides, there was no time. The di Angelos were in danger. They could be long gone by the time I managed to find my friends. I knew monsters. I was able to handle it myself.**   
**I took Riptide out of my pocket and ran after Dr. Espinheiro.**   
**The door led to a dark corridor. I heard the sound of feet shuffling ahead, and then a painful growl. I stripped Riptide.**   
**The pen grew in my hands until I was holding a three-meter-long Greek bronze sword and leather-wrapped hilt. The blade gleamed slightly, casting a golden light on the row of cabinets.**   
**I ran down the hall, but when I reached the end, there was no one there. I opened a door and found myself back in the main entrance hall. I turned around completely. I didn't see Dr. Espinheiro anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room were the children of Angelo. They were frozen in terror, staring at me.**   
**I advanced slowly, lowering the tip of my sword.**   
**\- It's all right. I will not hurt you.**   
**They did not respond. His eyes were filled with fear. What was wrong with them? Where was Dr. Espinheiro? Maybe he**

**felt the presence of Countercurrent and retreated. Monsters hate heavenly bronze weapons.**   
**"My name is Percy," I said, trying to keep my voice level. - I'll get you out of here, take you to a safe place.**   
**Bianca's eyes widened. She clenched her fists. It was only too late that I realized what his gaze meant. She was not afraid of me. She was trying to warn me.**   
**I spun around and something did WHIISH! Pain exploded in my shoulder. A force like a giant hand pulled me back and threw me against the wall.**   
**I struck with my sword, but there was nothing to be hit.**   
**A cold laugh echoed down the hall.**   
**"Yes, Perseus Jackson," Dr. Espinheiro said. Your accent has deformed the J in my last name. - I know who you are.**   
**I tried to free my shoulder. My coat and T-shirt were nailed to the wall by some kind of stud - a projectile like a dagger about a foot long. She had skinned the skin on my shoulder when she passed my clothes, and the cut burned. I had felt something like this before. Poison.**   
**I struggled to concentrate. I would not pass out.**   
**A dark silhouette now moved towards us. Dr. Espinheiro took a step into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was macabre. He had perfectly white teeth and his brown / blue eyes reflected the light of my sword.**   
**"Thanks for leaving the gym," he said. - I hate high school dances.**   
**I tried to swing my sword again, but it was out of reach. WHIIIISH! A second projectile was dropped from somewhere behind Dr. Espinheiro. He didn't seem to move. It was as if someone invisible was behind him, throwing knives. Next to me, Bianca yelped. The second thorn stuck in the stone wall, millimeters from his face.**   
**"You three will come with me," Dr. Espinheiro said. - Silently. Obediently. If you make a sound whatever, if you scream for help or try to escape, I will show you how precisely I can shoot.**

-What monster is that?


	2. Chapter 2

\- The deputy director has a missile launcher-Leu Poseidon.

**I didn't know what kind of monster Sr.Hawthorn was, but he was fast. Maybe I could defend myself if I managed to activate my shield. All that was needed was to touch my wristwatch. But defending the Angelo brothers was another problem. I needed help, and there was only one way to get it.**   
**I closed my eyes.**

-Take a nap? Ask the gods? -Kicked Apollo -What boy ?!

\- **What are you doing, Jackson? Hissed Sr. .Hawthorn - Keep walking!**  
 **I opened my eyes and kept on crawling.**  
 **\- It's my shoulder - I lay down trying to appear to suffer, which was not too difficult. - Burn.**  
 **\- Bah! My poison causes pain. It won't kill you. Come on!**  
 **Hawthorn guided us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I imagined Grover's face. I focused on my feelings and the danger. Last summer, Grover created an empathic connection between us. He could send me visions in my dreams so that I would know that he was in danger. I knew the connection still existed, but I had never tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it would work if he was awake.**  
 **Hey, Grover! I thought. Hawthorn is kidnapping us! He's a thorny maniac! Help me!**

"Wait, thorns? It's a Manticore," Artemis Vivacious said. "I've hunted many of those monsters."

**Hawthorn took us into the woods. We followed a snowy path, dimly lit by old lamps. My shoulder hurt. The wind blowing through my torn clothes was so cold that I felt like a Percy popsicle.**   
**"There's a clearing just ahead," said Hawthorn. - We will call your transport.**   
**\- Transport? - Bianca asked. - Where are you taking us?**   
**\- Shut up, unhappy girl!**   
**\- Don't talk to my sister like that. - Said Nico. His voice faltered, but I was impressed that he had the courage to say anything.**

-The boy has courage-Said Hades-But he is very young.

**Hawthorn made a sound similar to a roar, which was definitely not human. It made the hair on the base of my neck stand on end, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was a good hostage ... In the meantime I was madly projecting my thoughts - all to get Grover's attention:**  
 **Grover! Apples! Paint cans! Bring your hairy goat ass here and bring heavily armed friends!**  
 **"Tall," said Hawthorn**  
 **The forest had opened up. We came to a cliff that overlooked the sea. At least, I felt the sea below, hundreds of meters below. I could hear waves breaking and I could feel the cool, salty breeze. But all I could see was darkness and fog.**  
 **Hawthorn pushed us against the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca held me.**  
 **"Thank you," I murmured.**  
 **\- What is he? She whispered. - How do we face it?**  
 **\- I ... I'm thinking about it.**  
 **"I'm scared," Nico murmured. He was holding something - a small toy metal soldier.**  
 **\- Shut up! - Hawthorn said. - Look at me!**  
 **We turned.**  
 **Hawthorn's bicolored eyes shone with hunger. He pulled something out of his jacket. First I thought it was a pocket knife, then I realized it was just a phone. He pressed a side button and said:**  
 **\- The goods are ready for delivery.**

-Who are you going to send them to? Luke? - Said Zeus.

 **He had a garbled response, and I noticed that Espinheiro was in walkie-talkie mode. This looked very modern and scary - a monster using a cell phone.**  
 **I looked back, wondering how big the drop was.**  
 **Hawthorn laughed.**  
 **\- Go, son of Poseidon. Jump! There is the sea. Save yourself.**  
 **\- What did he call you? Bianca asked.**  
 **"I'll explain later," I said.**  
 **\- You have a plan, right?**  
 **Grover! I thought desperately. Come to me!**  
 **Maybe I could make the di Angelo jump with me in the ocean. If we survived the fall, I could use water to protect ourselves. I've done things like that before. If my father was in a good mood, and listening, he could help. Perhaps.**  
 **"I would kill you before you reached the water," said Hawthorn, as if reading my thoughts. - You don't know who I am, do you?**  
 **A small movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me, it scraped my ear. Something clicked behind Hawthorn - like a catapult, but more flexible ... almost like a tail.**  
 **"Unfortunately," said Hawthorn, "they asked for you alive." Otherwise, you would already be dead**.

-Then he would take Percy, even if he hadn't followed them. Someone asked Percy, Nico and Bianca-Said Athena.

\- **Who? - Bianca demanded. - Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We have no family. Nico and I ... - His tone dropped. - We have no one saved each other.**  
 **"Um," said Hawthorn. - Don't worry, you bastards. You will meet my employer soon. Then, they will have a brand new family.**  
 **"Luke," I said. - You work for Luke.**  
 **Hawthorn mouth moved with disgust when I said the name of my old enemy - an old friend who tried to kill me sometimes**

**\- You have no idea what's going on, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General tell you.**

The gods looked at each other nervously. They knew well, who the general was.  
-But he is under arrest-Said Artemis-And what do you want with Percy ?.

**You are going to do him a big favor tonight. He's looking forward to meeting you.**   
**\- The General? - I asked. Then I realized that I spoke with a French accent. - I mean ... who is the General?**   
**Hawthorn looked at the horizon.**   
**\- Ah, finally. Your transportation.**   
**I turned and saw a light in the distance, a light looking for something, over the sea. Then I heard the sound of helicopter blades, louder and closer.**   
**\- Where are you taking us? Asked Nico.**   
**\- You should be honored, boy. You will have the opportunity to join a large army! Just like that silly little game you play with cards and dolls.**   
**\- They're not dolls! They are miniatures! And you can take your big army and**   
**"No, no," Hawthorn. - You will change your mind about joining us, boy. And if you don't want to, well ... there are other purposes for half-bloods. We have several monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Unrest is coming.**   
**\- The Grande what? - I asked. Everything to make him talk while he was thinking of a plan.**   
**"The movement of monsters,Hawthorn smiled wickedly. - The worst, the most powerful, are waking up. Monsters that have not been seen for thousands of years. They will cause deaths and destruction of the kind that mortals have never seen before. And soon we will have the most important monster of all - the one that will bring the fall of Olympus!**

-I wonder what Monsters are these-Said Aphrodite-I was one of the first gods, I saw all the Monsters that have passed through this land.

**"Okay," Bianca whispered to me. - He's crazy.**   
**"We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. - At sea.**   
**\- Ah, good idea. You are crazy too.**   
**I never had a chance to try to convince her, because just then, an invisible force hit me.**   
**Paying attention, Annabeth's movements were brilliant. Wearing her invisibility cap, she pushed me and the Di Angelo down on the floor. For a second, Dr. Espinheiro was taken aback, then his first rain of missiles passed harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance in the back - Thalia equipped with her magic shield, Aegis.**   
**If you've never seen Thalia heading for battle, you've never been truly scared. She uses a huge spear that expands from an extendable stick that she carries in her pocket, but that's not the scary part. The shield is a copy based on one that his father Zeus uses - also called Aegis - a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the Medusa gorgon molded in bronze, and even if it won't turn you into stone, it's horrible. Several people would panic and run as soon as they saw him. Even Hawthorn shuddered and roared when he saw him.**

Many thought that Thalia was the heroine of prophecy.

**Thalia attacked with a spear.**   
**\- By Zeus!**   
**I thought Hawthorn was gone. Thalia thrust into his head, but he snarled and knocked the spear away. His hand turned into an orange paw, with huge claws that sparked against Thalia's shield during the blow. If it weren't for Aegis, Thalia would have been sliced like a piece of bread. But she managed to roll back and fall to her feet.**   
**The helicopter's sound was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look. Hawthorn launched another rain of missiles at Thalia, and this time, I got to see how he did it. He had a tail - leather, similar to that of a scorpion, only with spikes bristling at the end. The missiles hit Aegis, but the force of the impact knocked Thalia down.**   
**Grover jumped ahead. He put his flute to his lips and started playing - a frantic melody that looked like something that pirates would dance to. Grass emerged from the snow. Within seconds, thick weed strings got caught in Dr. Espinheiro's legs, immobilizing him.**   
**Hawthorn howled and began to transform. He grew up to be in his true form - his face was still human, but his body was that of a huge lion. Its prickly tail lashed murderous thorns in all directions.**   
**\- A manticore! - Annabeth said, now visible. Her New York Yankees magic cap fell off when she jumped on us.**   
**\- Who are you? - Bianca di Angelo demanded an answer. - And what is that?**   
**\- A manticore? - Nico choked. - He has three thousand attack points and five more for launches!**

\- Anyone understand? I didn't get the reference-commented Hephaestus.

**I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The manticore snapped Grover's magic cords in pieces with claws and turned to us with a snarl.**   
**\- Get down! Annabeth pushed the di Angelo into the snow. At the last second, I remembered my shield. I touched my wristwatch and a braid of metal spiraled into a thick bronze shield. At the exact moment. The thorns hit the shield with such force that it crushed the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I didn't even know if I could defend a second attack.**   
**I heard a track and a squeak, and Grover jumped beside me with a thump.**   
**\- Surrender! Shouted the monster.**   
**\- Never! - Thalia shouted from across the battlefield. She launched herself at the monster, and for a second, I thought she would pass right by him. But then there was the sound of thunder and a ray of light behind us. The helicopter appeared through the fog, hovering just ahead of the cliff. It was sleek, black, fully armed military style, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided missiles. The helicopter had to be handled by mortals, but what were you doing here? How could mortals be working with monsters?**

\- Innocence - Said Hera-Percy still has many things to learn. One of them is that I know everything.

**The light blinded Thalia, and the manticore threw her away using her tail. The shield flew through the snow. The spear flew in the other direction.**   
**\- No! - I ran to help you. I deflected a thorn just before hitting her chest. I raised my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.**   
**Hawthorn laughed.**   
**\- Now you see how there is no hope? Surrender, little heroes.**   
**We were trapped between the monster and a fully armed helicopter. There was no chance.**   
**Then I heard a clear, high-pitched sound: the call of a hunting horn, being played in the woods.**

Artemis grinned.  
-Show time!  
-The "love is useless" arrived -Apinned Aphrodite-It was taking too long.

**The manticore stopped. For a moment, no one moved. Just the sound of falling snow, the wind and the blades of the helicopter.**   
**"No," Hawthorn said. - It can not be.**   
**His sentence was interrupted when something passed me like a beam of moonlight. A shiny silver arrow sprouted on Hawthorn's shoulder.**   
**He staggered, screaming in agony.**   
**\- Damn you! - Hawthorn shouted. He released his thorns, dozens of them at once in the woods, in the direction from which the arrow came, shortly afterwards, silver arrows were shot in response. It was almost as if the arrows had intercepted the thorns in the air, and cut them in two, but my eyes must have played tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's children at the camp, could shoot so accurately.**

-He still compares us to You Apollo-laughed Artemis.

**The manticore pulled the arrow from his shoulder with a cry of pain. His breathing was heavier. I tried to hit him with my sword, but he was not as hurt as he looked. He deflected my attacks and slammed his tail against my shield, knocking me aside.**   
**Then the archers came out of the woods. They were girls, a dozen at least. The youngest must have been 10 years old. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore ski jackets and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced towards the manticore with a determined expression.**   
**\- The Hunters! Annabeth shouted.**   
**Beside me, Thalia grunted.**   
**\- Ah, wonderful.**   
**I didn't get a chance to ask what she meant. One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow in her hand. She was tall and graceful with copper-colored skin. Unlike the others, she had a silver tiara interlaced at the top of her long black hair, so that she looked like some kind of Persian princess.**

-Zoe!-Apollo exclaimed -My favorite lieutenant.  
"You love to piss me off," Artemis roared. "And you know Zoe hates him."

\- **Permission to kill, my lady?**  
 **I couldn't see who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.**  
 **The monster wailed.**  
 **\- Is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Old Laws.**  
 **"Not really," said another girl. This was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair pinned back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow as the moon. His face was so beautiful that it took my breath away, but his expression was firm and dangerous. - The hunting of all wild beasts is within my scope. And you, an abominable creature, are a wild beast. - She looked at the older girl with the tiara. - Zoë, permission granted.**  
 **The manticore roared.**  
 **\- If I can't have them alive, I'll have them dead!**  
 **He invested in me and Thalia, knowing that we were weak and stunned.**  
 **"No," Annabeth shouted, and charged toward the monster.**  
 **\- Back, half-blood! - said the girl with the tiara. - Get off the firing line!**  
 **But Annabeth jumped on the monster's back and pierced his mane with a knife. The manticore howled, spun in circles with its tail wagging while Annabeth held on as if her life depended on it.**  
 **\- Fire! - Zoë ordered.**

-No-shouted Athena.

\- **No! - I screamed.**  
 **But the Hunters flew their arrows. The first hit the manticore's neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered back, moaning.**  
 **\- This is not the end,** **Hunters! You will pay for it!**  
 **And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on its back, jumped off the cliff and fell into the darkness.**

-They are crazy! -Shadowed Athena-Annabeth was with him. My daughter Artemis

-Sorry

\- **Annabeth! I shouted.**  
 **I started running towards her, but our enemies still had plans for us. There was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter - gunshots. Most Hunters scattered in small holes in the snow at their feet, but the auburn-haired girl just looked calmly at the helicopter.**  
 **"Mortals," she announced, "have no right to witness my hunt."**  
 **She raised her hand, and the helicopter exploded, being reduced to dust - no, it wasn't dust. The black metal dissolved in a flock of birds - crows, which dispersed in the night.**  
 **The Hunters came towards us.**  
 **That call Zoë stopped as soon as she saw Thalia.**  
 **"You," she said with disgust.**  
 **\- Zoë Doce-Amarga. - Thalia's voice shook with hate. - Perfect timing, as always**

-Zoe and Thalia know each other? - Apolo was surprised.

**Zoë examined the rest of us.**   
**\- Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady.**   
**"Yes," the younger girl said. - Some of Chiron's campers, you see.**   
**\- Annabeth! I shouted. - You have to let us save you!**   
**The girl with auburn hair turned towards me.**   
**\- I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond our help.**   
**I struggled to stand, but two girls stopped me.**   
**"You are not in a position to jump off cliffs," said the girl.**

-How long will you call me a girl? - Artemis said with a murderous look.

\- **Let me go! - I insisted. - Who do you Think You Are?**  
 **Zoë took a step forward as if to kiss me.**  
 **"No," the other girl ordered. - I don't feel disrespect, Zoë. He's just distracted. He doesn't understand.**

-Frase that everyone says about Percy, he doesn't understand-Riu Ares.

**The young girl looked at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the moon in winter.**   
**"I am Artemis," she said. - Goddess of the Hunt.**


	3. Chapter 3

-Bianca Di Angelo makes a choice-Leu Hefesto

**After watching The Manticore turn into a monster and fall off a cliff with Annabeth, you might think that nothing would shock me anymore. But when this twelve-year-old girl told me she was the goddess Artemis, I said something smart like "Um ... right."**

-Better than keeping your mouth open like others-commented the goddess.

**This was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and began to chatter: - Thank you, Lady Artemis! You are so ... you are so ... wow!**

"Satyrs! I run into them on the hunt, and they do just that," Artemis muttered.

\- **Get up, goat boy! - Thalia said. - We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is missing! ”“ Wow, ”Bianca di Angelo said. - Wait. Just a minute! ”Everyone looked at her. She pointed her finger at us all around, as if she was trying to connect the dots. - Who ... who are you?**

-Two half-blooded sons of gods, a goddess, a half-human, and half-goat satyr, and a dozen immortal and virgin girls, who hunt mythological animals-Poseidon said on his fingers- We see this in our routine, nothing abnormal.

**Artemis's expression softened.**   
**\- I could ask a better question, my dear girl, I could ask who you are! Who are your parents?**   
**Bianca looked nervously at her brother, who was still looking at Artemis with fear.**   
**"Our parents are dead," said Bianca. - We are orphans.**

-Always the same litany-Said Zeus -The mother says that the father is gone, or dies and are considered orphans.

T **here is a bank fund that pays for our school, but ..**.

-That's not a litany, does anyone pay for their studies? -Hades repeated without believing

**She hesitated. I think she could tell by our expressions that we don't believe her.**   
**\- What? She demanded. - I'm telling the truth.**   
**"You are half-bloods," said Zoë Doce-Amarga. It was difficult to know where her accent was from. It sounded old-fashioned, as if she were reading from a really old book. - One of your parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian.**   
**\- An athlete ... Olympic?**   
**"No," said Zoë. - One of the gods.**   
**\- Nice! - Nico said.**

-Not just cool. Wonderful-exclaimed Apollo.

\- **No! Bianca's voice shook. - This is not cool!**  
 **Nico danced around as if he needed to use the bathroom.**  
 **\- Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred points of damage?**

\- If you score points, I don't know. But they can end a city-declared Zeus

-Dad, your rays don't compare to my disease arrows-Apollo boasted

-Want to bet? Just tell the city

-Maybe later- Sent Hermes

  
**He gains extra movement points for ...**

**\- Nico, shut up! Bianca put her hands on her face. - This is not your stupid Mytomagia game, okay? There are no gods!**   
**As much as I felt anxious about Annabeth, all I wanted to do was look for her, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the di Angelo. I remembered what it was like for me when I knew I was a demigod. Thalia must have felt something similar, because the anger in her eyes has calmed down a little.**   
**\- Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still out there. Trust me. They are immortal. And when they have children with normal humans, children like us, well ... Our lives are dangerous.**   
**"Dangerous," said Bianca, "like the girl who fell."**

The gods swallowed.

**Thalia walked away. Even Artemis looked sad.**

"Don't despair over Annabeth, Athena," said the goddess. - She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, Percy will find her.

  
**\- Let me go after her.**

**\- She's gone. Can you feel it, Son of Poseidon? Some spells are in motion. I don't know exactly how or why, but your friend disappeared. I still wanted to jump over the precipice and look for her, but I had a feeling that Artemis was right. Annabeth was gone. If she were there at sea, I thought, I would be able to feel her presence.**

-But like Manticora and my daughter, they disappeared out of nowhere? .- asked Athena.

\- **Hey! - Nico raised his hand. - What about Hawthorn? It was amazing how you shot him with arrows! He is dead?**  
 **"He was a manticore," said Artemis. - Hopefully it is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They return again and again, and must be hunted when they reappear.**  
 **"Or they will hunt us," said Thalia.**  
 **Bianca di Angelo reasoned.**  
 **\- That explains ... Nico, do you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in an alley in Washington?**  
 **"And that bus driver," said Nico. - With the ram's horns. I told you it was real.**  
 **"That's why Grover's been watching you," I said. - To keep you safe, if you were half-blooded.**  
 **\- Grover? Bianca stared at him. - Are you a demigod?**  
 **\- Well, a satyr, actually. - He took off his shoes and showed his goat hooves. I thought Bianca was going to pass out right there.**  
 **\- Grover, put the** **shoes back - said Thalia. - You're driving her crazy.**  
 **\- Hey, my hooves are clean**!

-I'm going to pretend I didn't hear it-Said Aphrodite-Once I suggested shoes to a Satyr, I could have made one for the hooves, but he did something about being natural, and wear only something that pleases Pan.

" **Bianca," I said, "we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Espinheiro will not be the last monster you will ever meet. You need to come to camp.**  
 **\- Camp? - she asked.**  
 **"Camp Half-Blood," I said. - It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, and stay all year round, if you want**  
 **.- Great, come on! - Nico said.**  
 **\- Wait - Bianca shook her head. - I do not...**  
 **"There is another option," said Zoë.**

-Don't try Artemis -Hades commanded -You won't take Bianca from me.

\- **No, there is not! - Thalia said. Thalia and Zoë looked at each other. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I could tell that there was a bad story between them. For some reason, they seriously hated each other.**  
 **"We have overwhelmed these children enough," announced Artemis. - Zoë, let's rest here for a few hours. Set up the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings at school.**  
 **\- Yes, my lady.**  
 **\- And, Bianca, come with me. I would like to talk with you.**

-If a maiden introduces me I will not miss the opportunity Uncle-Said Artemis reluctantly.

.- **What about me? - Nico asked.**

**Artemis considered the boy.**

**\- Maybe you can show Grover how to have fun with that card game you like. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while ... as a favor for me?**

-I thought I would belittle him  
-He's just a child Hades, I don't hate children

**Grover stumbled, trying to get up.**   
**\- You bet! Come on, Nico!**   
**Nico and Grover went out into the forest, talking about hitting points and rating armor and a lot of other nerdy stuff.**

-Until I liked the game of Nico-Said Apolo happy

**Artemis took a Bianca who looked confused along the precipice. The hunters started to open their backpacks and set up camp. Zoë shot Thalia another angry look, then left to supervise things. As soon as she was gone, Thalia shifted her foot in frustration.**

**\- What anger at those hunters! They think they are so ... Argh!**

-I wanted to know what happened between them. I get to die of curiosity - exclaimed Demeter.

" **I'm with you," I said. - I do not trust...**  
 **\- Ah, are you with me? - Thalia turned to me furiously. - What were you thinking at the gym, Percy? Would you have captured the Manticore entirely on your own? You knew he was a monster! If we had been together we could have caught him without the Hunters' involvement. And Annabeth could still be here**.

-Annabeth maybe, but Percy wouldn't be-Said Hades-The Manticore was ordered to take Percy, and my children. Atlas's own orders.

**My jaw creaked. I thought of some hard things to say, and I could have said them too, but then I looked down and saw a navy blue thing in the snow at my feet. Annabeth.Thalia's New York Yankees baseball cap said no more. She wiped a tear from her face, turned, and marched off, leaving me alone with a cap trampled in the snow.**

-I hope they get settled soon, what Annabeth would least like is to see her two best friends fighting, Luke is no longer enough

**The Hunters set up camp in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, in a rising curve on one side of a fire. One of the girls blew a silver canine whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared from the woods. They started circling the camp like guard dogs. The hunters walked among them feeding and caring for them, completely without fear, but I decided to stay close to the tents. Hawks watched us from the trees, their eyes sparkling in the firelight, and I had a feeling they were on guard, too. Even the mood seemed to bend at the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the wind died and the snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant to sit by the fire. Almost ... except for the pain in my shoulder and the guilt weighing me down.**

"If repentance killed, or changed something, humanity would eat out," said Ares.

**I couldn't believe Annabeth was gone. And even as angry as I was with Thalia, I had a sinking feeling that she was right. It was my fault. What did Annabeth want to tell me at the gym? Something serious, she had said. Now I could never find out. I thought about how we had danced together for half a song, and my heart felt even heavier.**

The gods had various feelings, and reactions to it.

**I saw Thalia rummaging in the snow at the edge of the field, walking among the wolves without fear. She stopped and looked back at Westover Hall, which was now completely dark, looming on the hillside beyond the forest. I wondered what she was thinking about.** **Seven years ago, Thalia had been turned into a pine by her father, to prevent her from dying. She defended herself against an army of monsters at the top of Half-Blood Hill to give her friends Luke and Annabeth time to escape. She returned to being human only a few months ago, and from time to time she would rest so still that you might think she was still a tree. Finally, one of the hunters brought my backpack. Grover and Nico returned from their walk, and Grover helped me to repair my injured arm.**   
**\- It's green! - Nico said with joy.**   
**"Be quiet," Grover told me. - Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean this. I shivered while he cleaned the wound, but the piece of ambrosia helped. It tasted like homemade cake, dissolving in my mouth and sending a warm sensation through my entire body. Between that and the magic ointment that Grover used, I felt my shoulder better in two minutes. Nico rummaged through his own backpack, which the hunters had packed for him, but how they had escaped from Westover Hall unseen, I didn't know .Nico placed a lot of figurines in the snow - small replicas of battles of Greek gods and heroes. I recognized Zeus with lightning, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his solar chariot.**   
**"Great collection," he said. Nico smiled.**   
**\- I have almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for some really rare ones**

-What does he not have? I wanted to know Poseidon.

.– **Did you start playing this a long time ago?**  
 **\- Only this year. Before ... - He raised his eyebrows.**  
 **\- What? - I asked.**  
 **\- I forget. That's weird. He looked shaken, but it didn't last long.**

-I'm tired of the secrets that surround these books -Athena said frustrated-When I think I'm close to the truth, everything changes.

" **Hey, can I see that sword you were using? I showed you Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen to a sword just by removing the cap.**  
 **\- Nice! Does it never run out of ink?**

"Great question," said Hermes.

\- **Um, well, I don't really write with her.**  
 **\- Are you really Poseidon's son?**  
 **\- Well, yes.**  
 **\- You can surf really well, then.**

Everyone laughed openly.

**I looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh.**   
**"Damn it, Nico," I said. - I never really tried. He kept asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I didn't answer that). If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why did Annabeth know nothing better than to fall off a precipice?**

-Nico is a complete Ron Weasley, said Athena angrily.

( **I tried not to strangle Nico for asking that). Was Annabeth my girlfriend? (At this point, I was ready to put the child in a meat-flavored bag and throw it at the wolves.) I figured that at any moment he would ask me how many points of damage I had, and I would lose control completely, but then , Zoë Doce-Amarga came to us.**  
 **\- Percy Jackson.**  
 **She had dark brown eyes and a slightly raised nose. With her silver tiara and proud expression, she looked so royalty like I had to resist the urge to sit up straight and say "Yes, ma'am."**

"If he did that, Zoe would hate it," said Artemis.

**She studied me with disgust, as if I were a bag of laundry she had been sent to fetch.**   
**"Come with me," she said. - Lady Artemis wishes to speak with you.**   
**Zoë took me to the last tent, which looked no different than the others, and waved me in. Bianca di Angelo was sitting next to the auburn-haired girl, who I still had trouble thinking of as Artemis.**   
**-He doesn't even need to get used, after all we won't see each other anymore. They go to camp, and I go to my hunters.**

  
-But what about my daughter Artemis? -Atena asked.  
-Who do you think will save her? Percy of course- Aphrodite interjected.  
Athena analyzed the two as if they were mere obstacles. Then he turned his attention to reading.

T **he interior of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, in a polished oak apparatus, was her large silver bow, sculpted to resemble the horns of a gazelle. Hanging on the walls were animal skins: black bear, tiger, and several others that I didn't recognize. I thought an animal rights activist would have a heart attack when looking at all those rare skins, but maybe since Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, she could replenish what she took off. I thought she had another extended animal skin. beside her, and then I realized it was a living animal - a deer with shiny fur and silver horns, its head resting contentedly on Artemis's lap. Join us, Percy Jackson - said the goddess. I sat across from** **her on the floor of the tent. The goddess studied me, which made me uncomfortable. For a girl she had the eyes of an old man.**  
 **\- Are you surprised at my age? - she asked.**  
 **\- Uh ... a little.**

-Deceive me that I like it - joked Hermes

\- **I could appear as a grown woman, or as a blazing fire, or anything else I wanted, but that is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and of all the young maidens for whom I am a patron, before they go astray.**

-Is that serious? Stray? They fall in love, find the love of their life. And if they are good women like my daughters, they will hurt the heart of a beautiful man. To unrequited love, one of the most common. But you Artemis, stay with your bunch of virgins who "don't need men", the truth is that you couldn't secure a man even if you wanted to, a badly loved one-cried the goddess.  
-Men are inferior beings, they don't deserve us. My hunters come to me, because they hate them, because they fear them ...  
-I will not take it-demanded Zeus-First the books made Poseidon and Ares fight, and now you two. ARRIVES !!.

  
Apolo was disappointed by his father's decision, he had even made popcorn, to see the circus catch on fire.

\- **Go astray? - I asked.**  
 **\- Grow up. And live with boys. Become foolish, worried, insecure. Forget about yourself.**  
 **\- Ah.**  
 **Zoë sat on Artemis's right. She looked at me as if all the things Artemis had just said were my fault, as if I had invented the idea of being a boy.**  
 **"You must forgive my hunters for not welcoming you," said Artemis. - It is very rare that we have boys in this field. Boys are generally prohibited from having any contact with Hunters. The last to see this camp ... - She looked at Zoë. - What's up?**  
 **"The boy in Colorado," said Zoë. - You turned him into a hare-antelope.**  
 **\- Ah yes. Artemis nodded, satisfied. - I like to make hares-antelopes. Anyway, Percy, I called you here so you can tell me more about the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the ... disturbing things the monster has said. But she may not have understood them. I would like to hear them from you.**  
 **So I told her. When I finished, Artemis put his hand on his bow thoughtfully.**  
 **\- I feared that was the answer**  
 **.Zoë sat further ahead**  
 **.– The smell, my lady?**

-What smell? - Persephone asked.

\- **Yes.**

**\- What a smell? - I asked**

\- **Things that are in motion have not been hunted by me for millennia - Artemis murmured. - Fangs so old that I almost forgot them. She stared at me intently. - We came here tonight monitoring the manticore, but he was not what I was looking for.**

-The manticore said that the millennial monsters would resurface, and that a monster will be able to defeat Olympus. It can only be him that you are hunting-Said Hestia.

**Tell me again, exactly what Manticore said.**   
**\- Um, "I hate high school dance."**   
**\- No, no. After that.**   
**\- He said that someone called the General would explain things to me.**   
**Zoë's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand**   
**\- Go ahead, Percy - said the goddess.**   
**\- Well, then Espinheiro was talking about the Great Tourbillon -**   
**"Agitation," Bianca corrected.**   
**\- Yes. And he said "Soon we will have the most important monster of all, which should cause the fall of Olympus"**   
**The goddess stood so still that she could have been a statue.**

**"** You know what Monster is, don't you?" Poseidon guessed.  
-I have an idea, but I hope I'm wrong-Said the goddess of the hunt, and for the first time in reading, the gods were really scared.

" **Maybe he was lying," I said. Artemis shook his head.**  
 **\- No, he was not. I was too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster**  
 **Zoë seemed to be trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded.**  
 **\- We will leave immediately, my lady.**  
 **\- No, Zoë. I must do this alone.**  
 **\- But, Artemis**  
 **\- This task is very dangerous even for Hunters. You know where I should start my search. You cannot go there with me.**

-I'm going to Atlas's home-Sighed Artemis, but with courage-That's where my mission begins

\- **As ... as you wish, my lady.**  
 **"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I will bring you back to Olympus on the winter solstice." That will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods that we are in danger.**  
 **\- Do you know what the monster is? I asked. Artemis tightened his bow.**  
 **\- Pray that I'm wrong**  
 **.– Can gods pray? I asked, because I never really thought about it. The flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips.**  
 **\- Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a little mission for you.**  
 **\- Does it involve being turned into a hare-antelope?**

\- **Unfortunately not. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there safely until I return.**  
 **\- What? - Zoë said abruptly. - But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there ...**

**"Yes, I know," said Artemis. - But I'm sure Dionysus won't hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It is your right to use Chalé Eito whenever you need it. Also, I heard that they rebuilt the cottages you burned.**

-How is it? -Dionysus said-The next time your hunters destroy something, you will solve it.

**Zoë murmured something about foolish campers. “And now there is one last decision to be made. Artemis turned to Bianca. - Did you make your choice, my girl?**

-Artemis not. I need Bianca-Said Hades- She can be the heroine of prophecy.  
-The choice is hers Uncle.

**Bianca hesitated. - I'm still thinking about it.**   
**"Wait," I said. - Thinking about what?**   
**\- They ... they invited me to join the Hunt.**   
**\- What? But you can not! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so that Chiron can train you. It is the only way for you to learn how to survive.**   
**"This isn't the only way for a girl," said Zoë.**   
**I couldn't believe I was hearing this**   
**.– Bianca, the camp is cool! It has a stable with pegasi and a fighting arena and ... I mean, what do you get for joining the Hunters?**

-Is that how he convinces someone? We're lost-warned Hera

"T **o begin with," said Zoë, "immortality. I stared at her, and then Artemis.**  
 **\- She's kidding, right?**  
 **"Zoë rarely jokes about anything," said Artemis. - My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my servants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear allegiance to me, they become truly immortal ... unless they fall into battle, which is unlikely. Or break your oath.**  
 **\- What oath? - I said.**  
 **"To forget romantic love forever," said Artemis. - To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden forever.**  
 **\- Like you?**  
 **The goddess agreed. I tried to imagine what she was saying. Be immortal. Spending my time only with school girls forever. I couldn't formulate my thoughts around that.**

-Because it's a boy. Energetic!

**\- So you just go around the country recruiting half-blooded girls -**   
**"Not just half-bloods," Zoë interrupted. - Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. Anyone who honors the goddess can join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals -**   
**\- What are you, then?**

-Zoe is a nymph-Said Apollo.

**Anger flashed in Zoë's eyes. “It doesn't concern you, boy. The point is that Bianca can join if she wants to. The choice is hers.**   
**"Bianca, this is crazy," I said. - What about your brother? Nico cannot be a hunter.**   
**"Certainly not," agreed Artemis. - He's going to camp. Unfortunately, this is the best that boys can do.**   
**\- Hey! - I protested.**   
**"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. - But you will be free of responsibility. He will have camp counselors to look after him. And you will have a new family. With us.**

-If she accepts we will have one less hero, three and not four. Percy, Thalia and Nico-Said Hephaestus a little relieved.

" **A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. - Free of responsibility.**  
 **"Bianca, you can't do that," I said. - It's insane.**  
 **She looked at Zoë.**  
 **\- Worth it?**  
 **Zoë waved.**  
 **\- Yes.-**  
 **What do I have to do?**

Artemis smiled contentedly, Hades was disgusted, Bianca was his oldest daughter, his favorite, and he had big plans for her.

" **Saying that," Zoë explained to her, "I submit to the goddess Artemis.**  
 **\- I ... I submit to the goddess Artemis.**  
 **\- I abandon the company of men, accept eternal virginity, and join the Hunt. Bianca repeated the lines.**  
 **\- It is?**  
 **Zoë agreed. - If Lady Artemis accepts your submission, then it is mandatory.**  
 **"I accept," said Artemis. The flames on the brazier cheered, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide.**  
 **\- I feel ... stronger.**  
 **"Welcome, sister," said Zoë**  
 **\- Remember your oath - said Artemis. - Now it's your life.**

**I couldn't speak. I felt like a transgressor. It is a complete failure. I couldn't believe that I came so far and suffered so much just to lose Bianca to some eternal girls' club.**   
**"Don't despair, Percy Jackson," said Artemis. - You will still be able to show the di Angelo your camp. And if Nico chooses, he can stay there.**

-At least Bianca has a home. They will not accept a son of Hades in the camp, ”said Persephone jealously.

"G **ood," he said, trying not to sound harsh. - How are we supposed to get there?**  
 **Artemis closed his eyes.**  
 **Dawn is approaching. Zoë, set up camp. You must go to Long Island quickly** **safety. I'm going to call my brother for a ride.**

-At Styx! It took three books for me to appear. That I am the main god, and most charming - Apollo boasted.  
Artemis rolled his eyes.

**Zoë did not seem very happy with this idea, but she agreed and told Bianca to follow her. When she was leaving, Bianca stopped in front of me.**   
**\- I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really, really want to.**   
**Then she was gone, and I was left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess.**   
**"So," I said moodily. - Let's get a ride with your brother, huh?**   
**Artemis's silver eyes twinkled.**   
**\- Yes boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an irritating brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo.**

-Irresponsible? I am not to blame if you are square-exclaimed the god.


	4. Chapter 4

\- Thalia atira fogo na Nova Inglaterra- Leu Hera- Espero que seja figurativo.

**Artemis assured us that dawn was coming, but you could have deceived me. It was colder and darker and snowing more than ever. At the top of the hill, the windows of Westover Hall were completely out. I wondered if the teachers had noticed that DI Angelo and Dr. Espinheiro were still missing.**

"Actually, no one will remember them tomorrow," Zeus assured him.

**I didn't want to be around when they noticed. With my luck, the only name Miss. Tengiz would remember it would be "Percy Jackson," and then I would be the object of a human hunt across the country ... again. The Hunters dismantled camp faster than they set it up. I was shivering in the snow (unlike Hunters, who didn't seem to feel any discomfort)**

\- "Storm comes, the cold won't even control me ..." - Sang Apollo

-Apolo! - shouted Artemis

  
, **and Artemis stared east as if she were waiting for something. Bianca was sitting in the corner, talking to Nico. I could tell by his heavy countenance that she was explaining her decision to join the Hunters. I couldn't help but think how selfish she was, abandoning her brother like that.**

"Each has its way, its destiny," said Hecate wisely.

**Thalia and Grover came and crammed next to me, eager to hear what happened in my audience with the goddess. When I told them, Grover paled.**

**\- The last time the Hunters visited the camp, things did not go well**

**.– How did they appear here? - I marveled. - I mean, they just came out of nowhere**

**.– And Bianca joined them - Thalia said, annoyed. - It's all Zoë's fault. The one exhibited, mean**

**\- Who can blame her? - Grover said. - Eternity with Artemis? He blew out a heavy breath.**

  
The goddess snorted.

  
**Thalia rolled her eyes.**

**\- Satyrs. You are all in love with Artemis. Don't you realize that she will never love you in response?**

**"But she's so ... natural," Grover collapsed.**

**-I deserve!**

**"You are crazy," said Thalia.**

" **Crazy and lunatic," Grover said dreamily. - Yeah. Finally the sky started to clear.**

**Artemis murmured:**

**\- It's about time. He's so slow during the winter.**

  
It's hibernation time- Apollo defended himself

\- **Are you, um, waiting for the sunrise? - I asked.**

**\- For my brother. Yes.**

**I didn't mean to be rude. I mean, I knew the legends about Apollo - or sometimes Helio**

"Helio doesn't work with that anymore. But you can find him in the delivery section at dawn," recalled Hermes.

\- **driving a large solar chariot across the sky. But I also knew that the sun was really a star a zillion miles away. I got used to some Greek myths being true, but still ... I couldn't see how Apollo could direct the sun.**

"I **t's not exactly how you think," Artemis said, as if she were reading my mind.**

**\- Oh, right. - I started to relax. - So, it's not like he was going to come pulling a ...**

**There was a sudden explosion of light on the horizon. A breath of heat.**

**"Don't look," Artemis warned. - Not until he pulls up.**

**Park? ”I looked away, and saw that the other kids were doing the same thing. The light and heat intensified until my winter coat seemed to be melting on me. Then suddenly the light stopped. I looked. And I couldn't believe it. It was my car.**

-I love the future- said Apolo drooling in the new car-I'm currently driving a beetle.

**Well, the car I wanted, anyway. A red Maserati Spyder convertible. It was so impressive that it shone. Then I realized that it shone because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle, which explained why I was now on green grass and my shoes were damp. The driver got out, smiling. He looked seventeen or eighteen, and for a second I had the uneasy feeling that it was Luke, my old enemy**

Apolo did not like the idea

. **This boy had the same sandy hair and a good, adventurous appearance. But it wasn't Luke. This boy was taller, without any scar on his face like Luke. His smile was more brilliant and playful. (Luke has been scowling and scoffing lately). The Maserati driver wore jeans and travel shoes and a sleeveless T-shirt.**

**\- Wow - Thalia murmured. - Apollo is hot**

-I know I'm beautiful-exclaimed displayed-But Thalia is not my type.-Said remembering Jacinto.

.– **He is the sun god - I said.**

-You know nothing innocent

  
- **That's not what I meant**

**.- Little sister! - Apollo called. If his teeth were whiter he could have blinded us without the solar car.**

**\- What is up? You never care. You never write. I was getting worried!**

"No melodrama," said Artemis. But deep down he was happy with the concern.

**Artemis sighed**

**.– I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister.**

**-I was born before.**

**-For a minute Apollo. We are twins**

**\- Hey, I was born first.**

**\- We are twins! How many millennia are we going to have to discuss?**

**\- So what happens? He interrupted. - You have the girls with you, I see. Do you all need some bow tips?**

**Artemis ground his teeth.**

**\- I need a favor. I have a hunt to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood.**

**\- Sure, sis! - so he raised his hands in a gesture for everything. - I feel a haiku coming.**

"Haicai? I thought you were doing Limeriques," said the confused god.

**All Hunters groaned. Apparently they already knew Apollo. He cleared his throat and raised a hand dramatically.**

**Green grass breaks through the snow. Artemis asks for my help. I'm cool**

**Apollo clapped himself, while the others looked on in amazement.**

**He smiled widely at us, waiting for applause.**

**"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said. Apollo frowned.**

**\- Had?**

**\- Yes. How about I am big-headed?**

**\- No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm. - He started murmuring to himself. Zoë turned to us.**

\- **Lord Apollo has been in this haiku phase since he visited Japan. It is not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I have to hear another poem that starts with There was a goddess of Sparta ...**

- **I did it! - Apollo announced. - I'm terrible. It's five syllables!**

"It's more like Rei Momo," Ares said, making everyone laugh.

**He leaned over, looking very pleased with himself. - And now, sis. Transport for Hunters, you say? Good moment. I was ready to go.**

" **These demigods are also going to need a ride," Artemis said, pointing at us. Some campers from Chiron.**

**\- Smoothly! - Apollo checked us out. - Let's see ... Thalia, right? I heard everything about you. Thaia flushed.**

**\- Hi, Lord Apollo.**

**\- Zeus' girl, yes? It makes you my half sister. It used to be a tree, didn't it? Glad you came back. I hate it when pretty girls are turned into trees.**

Apolo remembered Daphne and swallowed, did not believe that the chapter would bring back the memory of the two people he loved and lost the most. She and Jacinto.

Dude, I remember once 

" **Brother," Artemis said. - You should go.**

**\- Oh, right. Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. - Percy Jackson?**

**\- IS. I mean ... yes, sir. It seemed strange to call a teenager 'sir', but I had learned to be careful with immortals. They tended to take offense easily. So they broke things up. Apolo studied me, but said nothing, which I found a little chilling.**   
**\- Good! He said at last. - We better load it, huh? The route only goes one way - west. And if you lose, you lose.**

**I looked at the Maserati, where a maximum of two people could sit. There were approximately twenty of us.**

**"Nice car," Nico said.**

**"Thank you, boy," Apollo said.**

**\- But how are we all going to fit?**

**\- Ah. - Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. - Well and. I hate to change the sports car mode, but I suppose ...**

**He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp. For a moment, the car shone brightly again. When the shine stopped, the Maserati had been replaced by one of those Turtle Top vans like the ones we used for school basketball games.**

Apollo whined.

" **Okay," he said. - Everyone inside.**

**Zoë ordered the Hunters to start charging. She picked up her camping backpack, and Apollo said:**

**\- Here, dear. Let me take this.**

**Zoë stepped back. His eyes flashed dangerously.**

**\- Brother - Artemis scolded. - You do not help my Hunters. You don't look, talk or flirt with my Hunters. And you don't call them dear. Apolo opened his hands. - Sorry. Forgot it**

  
-Hypocrite-Said Artemis

  
.- **Hey, sis, anyway, where are you going?**

**"Hunting," Artemis said. - It's none of your business.**   
**\- I will find out. I see everything. I know everything.**

**Artemis snorted. “Just leave them, Apollo. And without messing around!**

**\- No, no! I never roll.**   
**Artemis rolled his eyes, then looked at us.**

**\- I'll see you on the winter solstice. Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would.**

**Zoë straightened up. “Yes, my lady.**

**Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for clues. When she got up, she looked worried.**

**\- So much danger. The beast must be found.**

**She darted towards the woods and mixed with the snow and the shadows. Apolo turned and smiled, turning the car key on his finger.**

**"So," he said. - Who wants to drive?**

-I think they are very young.-scolded Hades

**Hunters huddled in the van. They all crammed into the back so they were as far away from Apollo and the rest of us as possible, as if we were highly infectious. Bianca sat with them, leaving her younger brother hanging in front of us, which seemed cold, but Nico didn't seem to care.**

**\- This is so cool! - Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. - Is this really the sun? I thought that Hélio and Selene were the gods of the sun and the moon. How can it sometimes be them and sometimes you and Artemis?**

" **Cost savings," Apolo said. - The Romans started with that. They couldn't handle all those sacrificial temples, so they fired Hélio and Selene and linked their functions to our job description. My mana stayed with the moon. Me with the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car.**

**\- But how does it work? - Nico asked. - I thought the sun was a big flaming ball of gas!**

**Apolo chuckled and stroked Nico's hair. “This rumor probably started because Artemis used to call me a big flaming ball of gas.**

-Flaming ball of irritating gas-Corrected the goddess

**Seriously, child, it depends on whether you're talking about astronomy or philosophy. Do you want to talk about astronomy? Bah, what's so funny about that? Do you want to talk about how humans think about what the sun is? Ah, this is more interesting. They have a lot to walk in the sun ... er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, increases their crops, moves engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This car was built out of the human, dreams about the sun, boy. It is as old as Western Civilization. Every day, he drives through the sky from east to west, illuminating those thin mortal lives. The car is a manifestation of the power of the sun, the way mortals perceive it. Makes sense?**

**Nico shook his head.**

**\- No.**

**\- So, well, just see it as a powerful, really dangerous, solar car.**

**\- I can drive?**

- **No. Too young**

**.– Oo! Oo! Grover raised his hand.**

**"Mm, no," Apollo said. - Very hairy. He looked past me and focused on Thalia. - Daughter of Zeus! - he said. - Lord of the heavens. Perfect.**

**\- Oh no. - Thalia shook her head. - No, thank you**

**\- Come on - Apollo said. - How old are you?**

**Thalia hesitated. - I don't know.**

**It was sad, but true. She had been turned into a tree when she was twelve, but that was seven years ago. So she would be nineteen, if you count through the years. But she still felt like she was twelve, and if you looked at her, she seemed to be somewhere in between. The best that Chiron can deduce was that she continued to age while she was like a tree, but much more slowly. Apollo tapped his lips.**

**\- You are fifteen, almost sixteen.**

**\- How do you know that?**   
**\- Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know things. You will be sixteen in about a week.**

Everyone looked at each other. Zeus swallowed, deep down he didn't want the heroine of the prophecy to be Thalia, but more and more the arrow of destiny was pointing at her.

\- **It's my birthday! December twenty-second.**

**\- Which means you're now old enough to drive on a student license!**

**Thalia moved her foot nervously.**

" **I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. - You don't deserve the honor of driving the solar car.**

**\- That was not what I was going to say**

**.- Do not worry! Maine to Long Island is really a short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last child I trained. You are the daughter of Zeus. He's not going to throw you out of heaven.**

Hestia looked at Zeus in terror.

 **Apollo laughed naturally. The rest of us didn't join him. Thaia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take 'no' for an answer**.

-But why doesn't she want? -Most wondered

**He pushed a button on the dashboard, and a sign appeared along the top of the windshield. I had to read it backwards (which, for a dyslexic, is really no different than reading it forward). I was sure it said CAUTION: STUDENT DRIVER.**

**\- Get it out of there! - Apolo said to Thalia. - It will be natural for you!**

**I will admit that I was jealous. I couldn't wait to start driving. A few times that fall, my mom took me to Montauk when the beach road was empty, and she let me try it on her Mazda. I mean, it was a Japanese compact, and this is a solar car, but how different could it be?**   
**"Speed like heat," Apollo warned. - Then start slowly, and make sure you have a good altitude before you really accelerate.**

T **halia gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knots went white. She looked like she was going to be sick.**

 **\- What's wrong? - I asked her**.

**"Nothing," she said shakily. - N-nothing is wrong.**

**She pulled the steering wheel. He leaned over, and the van jumped forward so fast that I fell back and hit something soft.**

**\- Ow - Grover said. - Sorry.**

**\- Slower! - Apollo said.**

**\- Excuse me! - Thalia said.**

**\- I have everything under control!**

-Fool me I like- Said Poseidon

**I managed to get up. Looking out the window, I saw a ring of trees smoking in the clearing from which we took off.**

-She goes by fire in England-exclaimed Demeter

**"Thalia," I said, "slowly with the accelerator.**

**"I know, Percy," she said, gritting her teeth. But it kept him pressed.**

**"Stay calm," I told her.**

**\- I'm calm! - Thalia said. It was so rigid that it looked like it was made of plywood.**

"I think I'd better let Percy drive," said Poseidon.

-I think nobody better drive, except Apolo-Said Hestia.

**"We need to veer south, to Long Island," Apollo said. - Tilt to the left**

**.Thalia tugged on the steering wheel and again threw me on top of Grover, who howled.**

**"The other left," Apollo suggested. I made the mistake of looking out the window again. We were up to planes now - so high that the sky was starting to look dark.**

**"Ah ..." Apollo said, and I had the impression that he was forcing himself to appear calm. - A little lower, dear. Cape Cod is freezing.**

**Thalia tilted the direction. His face was white as whitewash, the back of his neck was dripping with sweat. Something was definitely wrong. I never saw her like this. The van charged down and someone screamed. Maybe it was me. Now we were heading towards the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coast on our right. And it was getting hot in the van. Apolo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the van, but he started to climb the rows of seats.**

**\- Get the steering wheel! - Grover begged him.**

" **Não se preocupe", disse Apollo. Ele parecia muito preocupado. - Ela só tem que aprender a ... UAU!**

**Eu vi o que ele estava vendo. Abaixo de nós, havia uma pequena cidade coberta de neve na Nova Inglaterra. Pelo menos, costumava ser coberto de neve. Enquanto eu observava, a neve derreteu das árvores, telhados e gramados. A torre branca de uma igreja ficou marrom e começou a queimar sem chamas. Pequenas nuvens de fumaça, como velas de aniversário, estavam surgindo por toda a cidade. Árvores e telhados estavam em chamas.**

Apolo.

-Pegue o volante

\- **Pare! Eu gritei.**

**Havia uma luz selvagem nos olhos de Thalia. Ela puxou o volante para trás e eu estava pronta desta vez. Quando nos afastamos, pude ver pela janela de trás que os incêndios na cidade estavam sendo varridos pelo repentino frio.**

**\- Lá! Apollo apontou. - Long Island, mortalmente à frente. Vamos devagar, querida. 'Mortalmente' é apenas uma expressão.**

**Thalia estava crescendo em direção à costa do norte da Nova Inglaterra. Havia o Acampamento Meio-Sangue: o vale, as florestas, a praia. Pude ver a sala de jantar, os chalés e o anfiteatro.**

**Estou sob controle - Thalia murmurou.**

"É melhor você parar", advertiu Hefesto.

**Estou sob controle.**

**Estávamos a poucas centenas de metros agora.**

**"Freie", disse Apollo.**

**\- Eu posso fazer isso.**

**\- FREIO!**

**Thalia pisou no freio e a van solar pulou para frente em um ângulo de 45 °, atingindo o lago de canoa do Acampamento Meio-Sangue com um grande FLOOOOOOSH! O vapor emergiu, fazendo com que vários naiads assustados saíssem da água com cestas de vime semi-tecidas. A van flutuava na superfície, junto com um par de canoas viradas e meio queimadas.**

**"Bem", disse Apollo com um sorriso corajoso. - Você estava certo, minha querida. Você tinha tudo sob controle! Que tal ver se queimamos alguém importante, não é?**

\- Você não é mais um instrutor - Disse Hermes - Você não usará mais o driver do aluno.


End file.
